Archaeology the tribalway: Reestablishing the boundaries of culture

Kennewick Man was discovered in July 1996, below the surface of Lake Wallula, a section of the Columbia River behind McNary Dam in Kennewick, Washington (McManamon, Roberts, and Blades 2004). Several historic preservation regulations were set in motion because the human remains of the Ancient One were located on federal property, which seems to be the catalyst of the controversy among several tribes and teams of scientists. This situation testifies to the sad and often difficult state of affairs that many tribes face when working in the federal arena of cultural resource management (CRM). Events involving Kennewick Man exemplify the need for training Native American and/or Indigenous people in historic preservation, archaeology, and CRM so that tribes can create and maintain tribally specific archaeology programs.